About Timor Ponies Horses

Timor Ponies evolved on the Indonesian island of Timor, probablyrnfrom Indian breeds that were imported to the island. On Timor these ponies are mainlyrnused for cattle work, as well as for riding, driving, and light farm work.

rnrnTimor Ponies are described as being strong, frugal, and agile,rnand are lovely natured and intelligent. They have a narrow frame, short back, muscularrnneck, prominent withers, and a sloping croup. Their shoulders are straight, andrnthe legs and feet are strong. Timor ponies usually stand 10-12 hands high (betweenrnabout one and 1.2 meters), and are usually brown, black or bay, but may also berngrey. They sometimes have a light colored mane and tail.

rnrnDuring the first half of the nineteenth century, a number ofrnthese ponies were imported into Australia, where they have had considerable influencernon the development of Australian breeds, such as Walers and Coffin Bay ponies.

rnrnTimor ponies appear to have had a long history in New Zealand.rnBack in the nineteenth century, they were listed for sale in newspaper advertisementsrnas early as 1843, and a William Henry Valpy reported in a letter to the editor ofrnthe Otago Witness that he rode one on a six-day journey from Christchurch to Dunedinrnin May 1851. However, it is not known if the early introductions survived as a breed.rnIt is thought that others came into New Zealand more recently as circus ponies withrnsome travelling circus troupes about the 1950s. Some of these were abandoned orrnreleased into the wild, where they interbred and became the forefathers of the Timorrnponies in this country today.rnrn